RWBY:Viper's Glare
by FallenSymphony963
Summary: Mercer Knight is a young man with a dark past that comes to Beacon to start over. Will he learn to be a person again, or will darkness overtake him and become a monster worse than any Grimm. Will contain heavy violence, language, and sexual content. This is my first fanfiction, so I hope you all enjoy. Main pairing will come later
1. Character Bio

**RWBY: Viper's Glare**

** Hello denizens of the internet, my name is FallenSymphony963 and welcome to my first fanfiction! Now if the title didn't give it away, this is a RWBY fanfic with a OC. I find RWBY to be fantastic and I really want this to be well-liked, but since its my first it will be rough. But I'll be damned if I don't give it my best. Fair warning, this fic will be very dark, mature, and depending on my mood, sexual. Those who are not good with blood, gore, and graphic situations; stop reading now. Also, I'm a big psychological nutcase, so a open mind and decent intelligence are recommended. And on a final note, I'm big on detail and these chapters will be long, so read at your own pace or you'll miss out.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy and here is the character bio.**

**Character Bio:**

Name: Mercer Knight

Gender: Male

Species: Human

Age: 19

Height: 6, 1"

Weight: 197 lbs

Hair Color: Black

Eye Color: Jade Green with slit pupils, formally blue with round pupils.

Body Build: Lean, tall, and muscular

Appearance: Mercer gives off a intimidating feeling despite his lean body. He stands tall and walks with a almost noble grace in his steps. His shoulder length ink-black hair is well kept and is slicked back except for a single thick section that falls off the side of his face. Mercer is considered to be handsome by his female associates with his sharp face, trimmed goatee, and small scar by his left eye. Black tattoos of a tribal design snake around his arms connecting on his shoulder blades and going down his back and upper torso, emphasizing his muscular physique. A tribal barb-wire tattoo also runs around his neck.

Insignia: A jade green spear with two angelic wings on the sides of the spear.

Clothing: Pure black suit with his jade green insignia taking up his entire back, dress shirt of the same green color, black suit vest under suit jacket, black tie, and combat-augmented dress shoes.

Accessories: Silver watch on left arm, jeweled silver rings on both hands' index and ring fingers, and silver earrings.

Semblance: **Nightmare**- Mercer is able to control a person's mind when the look into his eyes when Nightmare is activated. The victim will be torn from reality and placed under Mercer's control, where they experience psychological torture by altering the senses and pain receptors. While under the influence of Nightmare, victims have no physical damage, but they feel everything that Mercer puts them through. When used on humans and Faunus, it almost always leads to death or a permanent comatose state; Grimm are paralyzed when it is used on them. Direct eye contact is required. His eyes will overflow with his aura when he uses it.**(Basically its Itachi's Tsukoyomi from Naruto on steroids)**

Aura Properties and Color: Mercer's aura is black with a green glow to it. His aura is unimaginably strong, being as dense as the deepest ocean with the ability to suffocate people and force them to the ground. Weapons can sometimes break on contact and he has three times the amount of aura than anybody at Beacon. Mercer's tattoos and eyes will glow green when he is using his aura.

Weapon: **Empty Promise**- a 7-foot jade-colored spear with black tribal markings. Its gun form is a Szecsei Double Bolt Rifle that can condense itself down to be carried on the hip and fires anti-tank rounds **(its a bad-ass gun, look it up)**.

Hobbies: Mercer spends most of his free time reading, similar to Blake. He is also a piano prodigy, but doesn't get to play often. Mercer cares for children at an orphanage in Vale, where he watches and plays with the children while also growing white roses in a garden behind the building.

Likes: Music, reading, growing roses, looking after children.

Dislikes: Racists, discriminatory people, hospitals, and his weaknesses.

Strengths: Enhanced physical abilities and senses, near-instant healing factor, high intelligence, and calm attitude in dangerous situations.

Weaknesses: Trust issues, cold towards others, merciless, suffers from depression, strong sense of self-hate, borderline insanity.

Personality: Mercer is a calm individual that mostly avoids the spotlight. His high intelligence makes him a top student and effective tactician and hunter. With his cold demeanor, Mercer is distance with others and somewhat hateful; when he befriends teams RWBY and JNPR, Mercer becomes more talkative, friendly, and jokes sometimes.

Bio: Mercer never really got to know his parents, both died in a bombing of a building by the White Fang at the age of four. He then lived in an orphanage until the age of six. He came across a Faunus child being threatened by human racists, Mercer unlocked Nightmare when fighting the racists and put them in a coma. During the incident, a pair of White Fang members witnessed the power that Mercer had. They deemed that he could be useful to their cause and abducted him. The White Fang took Mercer to a abandoned hospital that their group had refurbished. The White Fang believed that Mercer could be brainwashed by infusing a forbidden type of Dust, Corruption Dust, into his body. To prevent him from using his semblance, the White Fang surgically sealed Mercer's eyes shut. The Corruption Dust was melted down and injected into his bloodstream and tattooed on his body. Days of intense pain and agony combined with Mercer's screams filled the hospital until the bonding process was complete. When Mercer saw a chance, he took action. By sheer willpower, he forced his eyes opened, ripping the surgical wire in his eyelids, finding that his once blue eyes were now jade green and the pupils had narrowed into silts. In a blind rage, Mercer tore through his bindings and slaughtered his way out through the White Fang with his new Corruption-enhanced abilities and Nightmare, which now could kill its victims. After his escape, Mercer spent eight years running from the White Fang. During those eight years, hardened his skills and created Empty Promise, effectively becoming a perfect warrior. Mercer closed his heart to others after his escape, determined not to risk his safety. Even after his torture at the hands of the White Fang, Mercer held no grudge against Faunus for the actions of a single group. Once the White Fang relented in their manhunt for Mercer, he spent five years as a mercenary around the kingdoms of Remnant, earning the nickname "Viper" for his quick, silent, and brutal fighting style. Eventually he encountered Qrow, Ruby's uncle. Qrow was able to see Mercer's potential as well as the loneliness in the young man's eyes and wanted to help him. The old hunter eventually was able to convince Mercer to enlist at Beacon.

** Well that's all I got for ya. Now I'm sure most of you are thinking that Mercer is overpowered as hell. Well he IS overpowered. Most people would stop reading by now because they have to have some sort of perfect style for fanfiction. I have two things to say on that subject. One; I don't give a shit, this is my fic, which means this my idea, I write how I want. Two; I've written Mercer like this to go with the plot line for this fic, it wouldn't work any other way. Now that my rant is over, there is a romance in this, but I'll leave it up to you, the readers, to figure it out. I truly hope all who read this enjoy this, the prologue will be up within the next day or so.**

** Comments and reviews are welcome, flames will be ignored.**

** See ya my fanfic family, til next time.**


	2. Prologue

**RWBY: Viper's Glare**

** Hello again my fanfic family, FallenSymphony963 here with the next installment to Viper's Glare! Shout out to Wilhelm Wigworthy for being the first to read my story. If I could give you a cookie I would. Anyhow, no rest for the wicked, so here's the prologue. Enjoy!**

**RWBY is owned by Monty Oum and Roosterteeth, I only own Mercer.**

**Prologue: New Start**

A lone airship flew across the skies of Vale towards Beacon Academy, the famous institute that trains men and women to become hunters and huntresses for the defense against the creatures of Grimm. Usually airships such as this one carry a large number of students to Beacon when returning from trips, assignments, or other reasons. But this airship was different than most of the others that fly above the streets of Vale. Instead of a hull full of young hunters and huntresses-in-training, a single solitary individual stood near the back of the airship. A young man in a pitch black suit with a green shirt and hair darker than the deepest night, reading a book in utter silence.

Mercer Knight blocked out the world with the book in his hand. Standing at barely over six feet tall, he fits the suit well with his broad shoulders and long limbs. Despite being covered by his clothing, the stoic young man supports a muscular body, characterized by the complete lack of excess body fat. His ink black hair waves with the movement of the airship, minus the strand that falls in front of his right eye. The man's thin mouth curls into a scowl that seems to be a permanent fixture on his sharp face. Vibrant green eyes dart across the page, waiting for the airship to reach it's destination, and the next phase of his life.

The ship's intercom suddenly went off. "Hey kid, we're landing at Beacon now, get your things and prepare to disembark. And good luck to you," the pilot spoke. Mercer lets out a sigh and puts his book in his pocket and heads towards a nearby seat. He picks up a large suitcase and slings it over his shoulder, then he grabs a heavy four foot briefcase with his free hand and walks over to the hanger door. The airship comes to a stop and the large hanger door opens. Mercer steps off the airship and is greeted by the sight of Beacon Academy.

_"So this is my home for the next four years..." _Mercer thought as he scanned the institute, taking in the immense size of the school. _"Or at least until something happens," _he concludes. Mercer places his briefcase on the ground and runs his fingers through his glossy black hair. The former mercenary lets out a long sigh filled with annoyance.

"Why did I let that dusty old bird talk me into this?"

**Flashback**

"Well, would you consider the offer, boy?" Qrow, a veteran hunter and uncle to a certain pair of sisters, asked the young man sitting across from him. His old silver eyes stared intently at Mercer Knight, his recent traveling companion, waiting for an answer to the question. Qrow had come across Mercer a month ago when the White Fang had attempted to assassinate a prominent human businessman in Atlas. The old hunter had planned to intervene when Mercer appeared, apparently the young man was contracted as a bodyguard to the businessman at the time. To say that a seasoned fighter like Qrow was impressed with Mercer's skills was an understatement. He watched as Mercer eliminated the White Fang would-be assassins with grace, precision, and a complete lack of mercy. The level of skill the green eyed man had was only comparable to a master warrior. Qrow had heard that an Atlas businessman had contracted the infamous mercenary known as Viper, but he was surprised none the less when he learned that this cold-blooded killer was only a child. With the level of skill Mercer had, the old hunter decided to try and convince him to quit the merc life and enroll at Beacon.

Mercer didn't make it easy for him. The first time Qrow approached him, he took it as a threat and attacked. The old bird, while avoiding getting impaled by Mercer's weapon, talked him down and said he just wanted to speak with him. Mercer declined and walked away, but Qrow was persistent. He followed the mercenary for weeks until they both ended up on the same train to Vale. Mercer finally gave in and listened to Qrow's offer.

Mercer had taken the offer to heart as he mulled over it. The young man was heading to Vale anyway, so the destination wasn't a big deal. Also, the idea of being around people his age didn't sound so bad. His depression had been getting worse recently, being caused by the constant loneliness and he needed a way to remedy it. So Mercer came to a decision and turned to the silver eyed man.

"Very well, I accept," he answered with a cold tone.

Qrow immediately contacted Beacon's headmaster, a man named Ozpin, after Mercer gave his answer and had the now former mercenary enrolled. When the train arrived in Vale the two parted ways and Mercer made his way to the airship yard

**End of Flashback**

Mercer made his way to the courtyard outside the main door. A statue of two hunters and a Grimm sat in the middle of the yard. The young man's eyes locked on the beast and his face adopted a melancholy expression. He felt no pity for the creature or the living variations of its kind. The Grimm are a danger to people and deserve death. Mercer closed his eyes and gave a bittersweet smile. _"Such is the fate of all monsters... and I am no exception." _The sound of footsteps broke him out of his somber moment and he turned to meet the source of the noise.

Glynda Goodwitch walked towards the front courtyard hoping to find the new transfer student that Ozpin had asked her to find and bring to him. She found it odd that someone would transfer right after the school year had begun, but Ozpin had said that this student was a special case. The blonde teacher sighed at the thought of another Ruby Rose, but she decided to give this new arrival a chance. Goodwitch walked around the corner into the courtyard and noticed a young man with his back to her. _"He must be the new student,"_ she deduced and began to walk towards him. The stranger must have heard her approaching because he turned around. That action preceded to make the teacher tense up and blush heavily. Glynda Goodwitch had just seen something that she will never forget.

Mercer turned to meet the face of one of his new teachers and she soaked in every detail of the young man. He was as tall as her, if not slightly taller, and even with the elegant suit he wore, she was still able to to make out the defined muscles on his arms and legs. A strange black tattoo similar to a barbwire wrapped around his neck. His jet black mane that could blend in with the deepest shade of darkness held against his head and traveled down the back of his neck. The young man's face was sharp and free of imperfections, minus the small scar by his left eye, which served to make him more attractive than he already was. And many, many women believe Mercer to be the definition of handsome.

Then there was his eyes. Piercing jade green colored gemstones with slit pupils. Mercer's eyes could make anything cower in fear, except women, women just swoon with his gaze. For Goodwitch, she could only get lost in his beautiful eyes. But she also saw something in his eyes. The blonde could see and feel the emptiness in Mercer's eyes, how the screamed for an escape. Goodwitch wanted nothing more than to comfort the young man before her, to take away his pain and give him the light those eyes begged for.

As she got closer to Mercer, Goodwitch put back on her professional attitude and spoke with her normal posh voice.

"Good evening, my name is Glynda Goodwitch, a teacher here at Beacon and the headmaster's assistant."

"Mercer Knight, I am a new student here," he responded, not taking his eyes off of the woman in front of him.

Goodwitch could feel the heat rising in her cheeks again. Mercer's icy voice was as sharp as his eyes and very mature, almost causing her legs to give out from under her. Whether Goodwitch liked it or not, Mercer had an effect on her.

Getting her composure back, she spoke. "I-I see, Mr. Knight would you kindly follow me to the headmaster's office," the blonde somewhat stuttered as she walked towards the Academy.

Mercer only nodded and followed the women who would be one of his teachers towards the building. Strangely enough, he couldn't help but feel at ease. Maybe... this is what he needed all along.

Only the hands of fate know the answer to that question.

** And that's all for the prologue, I hope you all got a kick out of seeing Goodwitch act like a stereotypical horny teacher that wants nothing more to screw her students. I sure as hell had fun writing it, and don't worry, she will only act like that in situations involving Mercer. If I could give this fic a third genre, it would be comedy. Because trust me on this, you all will be laughing a whole lot. And to any female readers, I am hoping you like Mercer, I wanted to give you ladies another reason to read this other than the romance that will come later on.**

** Until next time, as usual; read, review, and comment.**

** FallenSymphony963 signing off.**


	3. Chapter 1

**RWBY: Viper's Glare**

** Hello readers, FallenSymphony963 here with the first true chapter of RWBY: Viper's Glare. I would like to start of by apologizing for the long wait, life has been busy and time has not been my friend. But no matter, I'm back and ready to give you what you people so well deserve. No need to waist time, lets get on with the show!**

** Just to clarify, this fic begins after the events of The Badge and The Burden part 2.**

** Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY, it belongs to Monty Oum and Roosterteeth.**

**Chapter 1: A Snake Among Hunters**

Ozpin sat in his office like he did every evening, coffee in hand, waiting for the day to end at his school. Only this evening he was engrossed in the file of Mercer Knight, his newest student. Beacon's headmaster was no stranger to seeing young individuals with troubled pasts, but Mercer stood out among the rest. With all that the young man had experienced, two aspects of the dark warrior were beyond abnormal, even by a hunter's standards. First was his semblance; his power could only be described as monstrous, an ability capable of destroying a person without making any physical contact. Truly it was a force to reckoned with. The second; the high body count that Mercer carried with him. Within a twelve year time frame, not a single combatant to engage the stoic fighter walked away alive. No survivors... that seemed to be Mercer's policy, whether by personal choice or his life experience. Ozpin's newest student brought a river of blood with him directly to Beacon, and the genius teacher could only hope that his other students would not join Mercer's list of the dead. The coffee-addicted instructor was concerned with this warrior... no, this demon, coming to his school, but Qrow's judgment hadn't been wrong yet. If his old companion believed in this child, then so should he.

"_So the Viper shall coil in these halls..._" Ozpin thought, mulling on the moniker given to Mercer by his unique fighting style.

A knock on his office's door broke his daydream.

"Enter"

The door opened to reveal Glynda Goodwitch and a tall young man he could only assume to be Mercer Knight.

"Professor, I have brought the transfer student liked you asked," Goodwitch stated once the door was closed.

"Thank you Glynda," Ozpin replied before turning to Mercer. "Mr. Knight, my name is Ozpin, I am the the headmaster of Beacon Academy, and this is my school," he continued.

Mercer only continued to stare at the gray haired man before him. "I'll be blunt," Ozpin began. "I know who you are Mr. Knight, and I know what you've done," he paused and adjusted his glasses. "If you try to bring harm to any of the students here... I will bring the full force of my power down upon you," the headmaster concluded, sending a glare to the killer before him.

The room was silent for a moment, Ozpin had flat out threatened Mercer and the jade-eyed man didn't move a muscle, a testament to the Viper's seemingly complete lack of fear. The headmaster of Beacon, one of the most powerful individuals in all of the four kingdoms was known for living up to his words. Of course, Mercer, the mercenary known as Viper, a man infamous for his efficient, calculating, and merciless combat style also ranked high on the list of people on Remnant that were as dangerous if not more than the creatures of Grimm. These two titans of danger stood unmoving before each other, silent and prepared for the worst, Mercer with his eyes closed and Ozpin with his coffee.

Mercer opened his eyes and narrowed his vision on the headmaster. "You had better be able to back those words with actions, **Professor Ozpin**," venom dripping with every word, especially his last few words.

Goodwitch was taken back with the murderous intent infused with words. The female teacher noticed that the young man's slit eyes had gotten smaller, like a reptile preparing to strike. She wondered what could have made Mercer so violent. This was different from the quiet young man she had met only moments ago. On the walk here, Mercer had listened intently to her explanation of school rules, not interrupting her or complaining once. Even though she'd known him very little, Goodwitch knew she liked Mercer, she doesn't know to what extent though. Was this the true face of Mercer Knight standing before her?

Ozpin only chuckled at his response, making Goodwitch nearly fall over from shock. "As honest as Qrow said you were," the headmaster responded. "I know it won't come to that Mercer," a smile graced the teacher's face. "I'm sure what you need, you'll find here at Beacon."

A few more seconds of silence continued until Mercer relaxed slightly and nodded in response. He was still on guard, he could sense that the threat was gone, but taking precautions never hurt.

Ozpin motioned for Mercer to sit down while he returned to his own chair. Mercer obliged and placed his belongings next to him on the ground. Beacon's headmaster cleared his throat before he spoke.

"Now, it's the standard system of the school for all students to be paired with a partner and placed one a team with another pair for the duration of the duration of their attendance at Beacon, but your timing could have been better," began Ozpin as he pulled out his scroll and began searching for a certain student's information. "You see, all the teams have been filled and making a team of five would go against the system, throwing the team's dynamics into chaos," the headmaster continued as he found that student's contact information and sent a message.

Mercer only blinked at the teacher's revelation. It didn't bother him to work alone, he'd been doing it for over a decade after all, another four years wouldn't be a problem.

Seeing that Mercer wouldn't comment on this, Ozpin continued. "But with your combat experience and efficiency... you really don't need to be put on a team. So, I have a better option to remedy this situation, Mr. Knight."

"Do tell," Mercer questioned.

"Simple, you will be a one man team that will be assigned to handle the most dangerous of assignments... but you will also be paired with a team to work with injunction on normal assignments. So on paper, you're a singular unit, while actually you are a advanced member of the team I'll assign you to work with," Ozpin concluded, taking a sip from his ever present coffee mug.

"So... I'm a glorified babysitter then?"

"Think of it more as a bodyguard," Ozpin countered.

A sigh escaped Mercer's lips, he knew that this was the only offer that Ozpin would put on the table. "_So be it then_," Mercer thought. The jade eyed warrior nodded in agreement.

Beacon's headmaster smiled at his acceptance. "Excellent, I've already called for the leader of the team you will work with to come meet us here. You'll be living in the room to the right of them."

Mercer nodded once again and yawned. He was tired, he'd spent the majority of the day on a train the on an airship, constantly moving. Even someone like him needed to sleep a moderate amount. The sound of the door opening snapped him out of his daze. Mercer turned his head to see who the leader of his new associates would be.

Ruby Rose was, with all honesty, confused on why Professor Ozpin had called her to his office. She really didn't want something bad to happen. Ruby had just reconciled with her teammate Weiss on her position as team leader of RWBY a few days earlier. The young huntress was grateful that the heiress was being friendlier, and she wanted that trend of good luck to continue. Ruby did tend to over think things sometimes, so she hoped that this would end well.

The scarlet-clad girl closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Then she slowly opened the door.

Ruby found Ozpin in his chair sitting across from somebody she'd never seen before and Goodwitch standing by the window. The young man had black hair down to his shoulders in a swept back fashion except for a strand on the right side of his face. Normally Ruby wasn't one for starring at people for long, but his eyes entrapped her gaze. Silver met shinning jade green when Mercer stood and faced her, which shocked Ruby. The man in black and green had to be nearly two feet taller than her, with broad shoulders and long limbs. He also had a ice cold glare that could make a Beowolf run in terror. Despite Mercer's towering physique and icy stare, he was giving off a calm feeling that countered his physical attributes. The scythe-wielder knew that Mercer meant her no harm... she hopes.

Ozpin broke the silence between his students. "Ms. Rose this is Mercer Knight, he will be attending Beacon as of today," gesturing to the man in the exquisite suit. "I would like you to lead him to his room, Mr. Knight has yet to learn the location of everything here at the Academy."

"Oh, of course Professor, where is his room," Ruby questioned, breaking her focus from Mercer.

The headmaster sipped his coffee before giving a response. "The room next to your team's, the one on the right." He turned to Mercer and threw him a key, which Mercer caught without looking. "You'll find a uniform and a school-issued scroll on the bed. And before you go, allow me to say... welcome to Beacon, I expect great things from you," Ozpin concluded.

Per his nature, Mercer gave a nod for a response before collecting his possessions and heading out the door, with one Ruby Rose in tow.

Beacon's headmaster returned to his chair after the two left and released a heavy sigh, relieved that the young man had been easy to reason with. If Ozpin had made a mistake, the meeting could have ended in a bloody conflict with many casualties.

Goodwitch noticed her employer's actions and sarcastically implied. "Another piece for your chess game Headmaster?"

"When it comes to that boy, this is in no way a game," Ozpin countered with a serious tone that shocked the blonde teacher. "Mercer Knight is a one man juggernaut with more power and skill than any individual I have ever seen in my life," he continued, handing Goodwitch a file with Mercer's name across the top. "I suggest you get to know Mr. Knight, or as he's better known as... Viper."

Goodwitch's eyes widened at this revelation. Viper... the codename for a world-renown mercenary that even the White Fang feared to cross paths with. Was Mercer really that person? The huntress stared at the file for a moment, then she opened the folder. Like opening one's eyes for the first time, Goodwitch was welcomed to the hidden secrets and awful truths about Mercer Knight.

**Hallway**

It only took Ruby a moment to get ahead of Mercer and head towards their respective rooms. The young girl was curious about this mysterious man called Mercer, so she decided to inquire about the dark hunter.

"So your name's Mercer, right," she innocently asked.

No response.

"Well... I'm Ruby, the leader of team RWBY."

Still nothing.

Ruby felt awkward with the one-sided conversation, but decided to continue. "You're not much of a talker, are you?"

That got a her a response. "I apologize, I'm... not used to carrying out conversations."

Mercer's tone caught Ruby's attention. "_He sounds... so sad_," she thought. "Oh, it's fine.. I think that silent types are cool."

Mercer couldn't feel any dishonesty in her words. He was truly surprised that this girl wasn't afraid of him. Most of the time people simply ignored him... unless they were trying to kill him or they were a woman attempting to seduce him.

Ruby smiled at him, she was quick to get along with people, but the red-caped girl felt a instant connection with Mercer. She figured that she could continue to ask him more questions.

Silver eyes locked on the mercenary-turned-hunter with the next question. "If you don't mind me asking, are you a Faunus?" Ruby hoped that she didn't offended him.

"No, why do you ask," was his response. Mercer didn't like where this was going, but he knew she meant no harm.

Ruby shifted her gaze before answering. "... your eyes are... different," she answered. RWBY's leader was starting to regret bringing up his eyes.

A wave of somber feelings washed over Mercer when he heard that word. The experienced warrior didn't like that word, it brought up painful memories, of what he was, how he got that way, and his years of utter loneliness. Those jade eyes that separate him from all others turned their focus to the floor, not wanting to look at Ruby. "Different..." he muttered.

The girl in red knew at that moment that her statement had hurt him. "I-I-I... I'm so sorry, I didn't mean..." She started to tear up and whimper. "F-Forgive me, please don't hate me!" At this point Ruby was crying quite a lot.

Mercer, for the first time in his life, was completely shocked at Ruby's sudden actions. Never in his life has he had to deal with a crying girl. This was a completely new experience, and Mercer had t act fast before it got worse.

He put down his bag and suitcase and placed his hand on Ruby's head. "Hey... its OK, I'm not mad," Mercer spoke with a soft voice unusual for him as began to pet her head.

Ruby looked up at him with her silver eyes still glistening from crying. "R-Really?" she asked, worried if he really meant it.

Mercer gave her a nod. Then Ruby surprised him even more... by hugging him. Her thin arms barely able to connect around his imposing form. Mercer's back tensed up at the sudden display of affection, not knowing how to handle it.

Ruby quickly realized what she was doing and let go of Mercer. "Sorry," she whispered, her face a similar shade of red as her cloak. Mercer only shrugged and picked up his belongings and motioned for them to continue. Ruby quickly dried her eyes and gave him a wide smile before proceeding down the hall, with Mercer right behind her.

The duo continued down the hallway until they reached the dorm block that housed team RWBY and the new living quarters for Mercer. As the headmaster had said, his room was right next to Ruby's and her team's. The two decided to stop in front of Mercer's room.

It didn't cross Ruby until just then, but nobody lived in this room. Did more people move in without her realizing it? She thought it would be smart to ask Mercer. "Is the rest of your team inside?"

"Only me," he responded.

"Only you... what about your team?"

The answer the man in black and green gave her would surprise her greatly. Mercer looked over his shoulder and let his vibrant green gemstones for eyes lock on her. "Team of one."

"_What_?" Ruby thought. The crimson girl had never heard of somebody working alone at Beacon. Students were put on teams to help further their training and teach the value of cooperation. Ruby tried to think of reasons why Mercer was he on his own. But another thought kept her from focusing on those theories.

Mercer would spend the next four years alone with no one to spend time with. No teammates, no companions... no friends.

That didn't sit well with Ruby. She thought of Mercer as her friend, even if she had just met him. Unknown to the vermillion huntress, who was lost in her thoughts, Mercer had opened the door and was halfway inside his new room before she spoke.

"Well, if that's the case... you can work with team RWBY then," Ruby declared with conviction and a thumbs up. Mercer raised an eyebrow at this proclamation.

"Why?"

Ruby tilted her head to the side and gave him a sweet smile. "Because you're my friend, of course."

….friend.

Mercer closed his eyes and focused on that one word. It felt... good to hear it, like it wiped away some of his loneliness. Not a large amount, but it was a start.

"What's wrong," Ruby asked.

The dark hunter opened his eyes and looked at her, letting Ruby fully take in the color and feelings of his eyes. A jade green that sparkled like stars complemented the calm and honest nature that his eyes spoke of. But those beautiful gems also carried a deep loneliness drowned with violence and mercilessness that showed with his next statement.

"I've never had a friend before..."

Despair

Melancholy

Emptiness

These were the emotions that hinged on Mercer's words. The snake-eyed warrior wasn't lying, and Ruby knew it. The scythe user hid her eyes behind her hair and stood there for a moment in silence.

RWBY's leader finally spoke. "Its pretty late... I think I'm gonna head back to my room. Goodnight Mercer," she said softly not looking at his face before disappearing in a cloud of rose petals.

Not fazed by Ruby's vanishing act, Mercer returned to the darkness of his room. Tomorrow, school life would begin.

** End of chapter one! Hope you all enjoyed the long chapter, bloody took forever to type. Its my hope at this point you guys are thinking about who's gonna end up with our bad-ass Mercer.**

** Will it be Glynda Goodwitch with her instant attraction to our stoic antihero? (Yes, I said antihero, let that give you an idea of what's to come)**

** Or will it be Ruby Rose and her emotional connection to Mercer?**

** Or maybe... someone else? (Insert dramatic music!)**

** Well I'm not telling. Why? Because I like to troll some and I want to make you all THINK! No matter, it will come in due time. I'll try to do better and upload faster than I did with this chapter. Hope you all loved it and look forward to the next chapter.**

** Read, review, and comment. Flames will be shot in the face with a high caliber sniper rifle.**

** FallenSymphony963 out.**


	4. Chapter 2

**RWBY: Viper's Glare**

** Hello my fanfiction brethren! I'm back with the next installation of Viper's Glare. I am truly sorry it takes me so long to upload these chapters, but finishing up my last year of high school takes it tool. I swear these damn final weeks feel longer and the work seems more abundant. But don't worry, FallenSymphony963 will not abandon my loyal readers or new additions to petty stress. In the short time I've been part of the fanfiction community, I've come to see you all as family and I never take family for granted. Enough of this sappy shit... you guys came for a intriguing story and I'm gonna give you guys it.**

** Just to give you people a heads up, there won't be any combat until chapter 4. Hardcore action fans will have to be patient, I like to build up to big things. Plus I'm detail nut that likes his work to fit into the places he's set.**

** Now... on with grand story I have planned for you.**

** Disclaimer: I own nothing but Mercer.**

**Chapter 2: First Night and Bedroom Gossip**

Mercer closed the door to his new dorm and flipped on the light switch. His room was a simple one, a single dresser with a lamp, decent sized closet, a desk with a chair, and one window. The only thing odd about the room was the bed. The logical thing would be a single or twin bed, since these rooms normally accommodated four people. His bed, for some unforeseen reason, was a queen and took up nearly a quarter of the room. The school surely had more than enough funding to get a more traditional and realistic bed for his accommodations.

"Strange..." he mumbled. Mercer wasn't bothered by this unusual situation, he just wondered why his bed would be that large. No matter, is wasn't a problem. The infamous merc unpacked his multiple suits and casual clothes into the closet, leisure clothes and undergarments found their place in the dresser. He actually pulled out a small stack of books and placed them at the foot of the bed. The now empty duffel bag was placed under the large bed. The large briefcase that Mercer carried found its place on the desk, ready to be use when called upon. Jade eyes lingered on the briefcase for a moment, memories of past conflicts flooded the Viper's mind. The weapon in that case had seen many battles, and tomorrow would continue that tradition.

After putting away all his belongs, Mercer began his preparations for bed. He removed his watch, rings, and took out his earrings and placed them on the dresser by the bed. Then he removed the clothes he was currently wearing and folded them up. Those clothes were then placed on the floor by the closet. Going over to the dresser again, Mercer pulled out a pair of loose sweatpants and put them on. He left his chiseled torso bare to the cold of the room. Walking over to the bed he examined the uniform left there by Ozpin and the scroll he would use to keep track of schoolwork, message other students and teachers, and receive notifications. Mercer placed the scroll by the case on the desk and the uniform on the chair for quick access the next day. Turning to the bed he climbed in and situated himself into a comfortable position, the merc drifted into a dreamless sleep.

**RWBY Dorm**

The remaining members of RWBY were preparing for bed when Ruby entered the room, still lost in her thoughts on her new green eyed man, mulling over what he had said. Never had she felt such a void come from somebody's words. From the way Mercer spoke, Ruby could conclude that he hadn't ever had anybody in his life nor had the dark man received much kindness from others. When her mother died, the hooded girl experienced the tendrils of darkness and despair take root in her soul, that time in her life allowed her to understand that sorrow Mercer gave off. But when all the light in her life seemed to fade away, a brilliant yellow sun saved her. Her sister Yang pulled her out of the abyss and brought her back to the world. Because of her Ruby learned to smile again, she owed her sister more than she could ever give. But... nobody came to save Mercer, the world watched as the jade and black warrior sank into the dark... and now he carries that darkness with him. Ruby was unsure what to do, she wanted nothing more than to help Mercer like Yang had helped her. She knew that freeing him from despair couldn't be done quickly or by herself. His mind was surely protected by barriers he put up himself and getting him out of his shell would be the first obstacle to overcome, after that is still a mystery.

_"Mercer is my friend, I will help him no matter the cost,"_ she promised herself.

The scythe-user's sister was the first to notice her return. The blonde bombshell leaped from her bed to great her younger sister.

"Welcome back sis, Ozpin make you do something stupid for him," questioned the brawler, hoping to learn something interesting. It had been a boring day and she needed something exciting to talk about. Unfortunately Ruby was still engrossed with her thoughts of a snake eyed man to answer her sister.

RWBY's resident ninja, Blake Belladonna, caught the cloaked girl's silence as a sign of discomfort. Putting down the book she was reading (a rare instant), the amber eyed woman focused on their young leader. "Is something wrong Ruby," she questioned softly.

Blake's voice got a reaction out of Ruby, who snapped out of her thought to find her sister standing in front of her with a concerned look, Blake sitting on her bed with a similar expression, even Weiss turned away from combing her snow white hair to cast her attention to her.

Ruby turned to bow wearing friend and gave her a fake smile. "I'm alright," she lied before turning back to Yang. "The Headmaster just needed me to show a transfer student to their room."

The words "transfer student" caught Weiss' attention interest. Last time she checked, all the teams had four members, so the likelihood of this person joining another team was unlikely. There's also the matter how this person got in, any normal person would not be able to transfer into Beacon that easily, so this individual must be highly skilled or lucky. The Schnee heiress pondered on who this mysterious transfer student could be. _"Whoever this person is, they are most likely very dangerous."_

Yang's curiosity started getting the better of her. So she decided that interrogating her little sister was the best course of action. "What's this transfer student like?"

"Well, he's..." was all Ruby got out before the blonde cut her off.

"It's a dude," Yang's mouth practically broke from the enormous grin plastered on her face.

"Yes..." the younger sister continued. "His name's Mercer, he's tall, at least two feet taller than me... pitch black hair that is slicked back except for a single section, a wire-like tattoo wraps around his neck, and he is the only member of his team, or unit if you want to get technical," she concluded, leaving out the details of Mercer's eyes, not wanting to think on their sorrow. "... oh yeah, and he's the silent type."

The three older members of RWBY took this explanation in their own way. Blake was curious about this Mercer, about both the vague physical description and the fact of him being the silent type. Weiss was extremely suspicious of the man due to that tattoo on his neck and Ruby's almost reluctant explanation. Yang keep trying to picture the Viper's face, to no avail.

The golden brawler turned to the cloaked girl. "So the Rubes... is this Mercer a hottie?" Her playful tone masked a more... sinister intent.

Ruby's face turned a blazing red and she looked at the floor, remembering how she had grabbed Mercer. The scarlet faced girl had completely forgotten how his chest and arms felt like solid stone. Despite the betraying look of the suit he wore, Ruby was able to tell that Mercer was ripped beyond imagination just by wrapping her arms around his imposing form.

Yang got the answer she wanted based on how Ruby reacted. Even though she's young, Ruby is still a girl, and a girl only reacts like that for one of two reasons. The first being she got caught for something incredibly embarrassing. The second being...

_"This Mercer must be an absolute stud,"_ Yang concluded, putting on a perverted face. She wanted nothing more than to meet this man and... get to know him.

Weiss, visibly annoyed, decided to put in her two cents into the conversation. "I swear you're like a dog in heat Yang," that statement clearly irritated the blonde, but the ice queen continued her rant. "This Mercer is obviously some kind of delinquent since he has no team, or nobody wanted to be on a team with whatever sort of freak that he is," she concluded with her normal hateful tone.

Blake was livid at Weiss' declaration. The heiress had no right to judge somebody who they haven't even met. The black haired woman prepared to combat the Schnee's statement when Ruby screamed at her in retaliation.

"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO JUDGE MERCER! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT HIM! MERCER DOES NOT DESERVE TO BE TREATED LIKE GARBAGE!"

Good thing that all the dorms are sound-proof, otherwise the whole hallway would have heard Ruby yell at her teammate.

The three older girls turned to find a furious and weeping girl in red. The built up sorrow in her from seeing Mercer's pain had finally broken through and poured out. Ruby's were wide and bloodshot, her face drenched in hot tears. Their team leader's small body quivered in a mixture of anger, sorrow, and regret. Little Ruby looked like she could break down at any moment from her sadness.

Yang was the first to break out of shock and head to her sister. Weiss and Blake stayed in their respective places, each unsure of what could have caused their leader to be so angry. Ruby never gets angry, its completely new to the two of them.

Luckily for the pair of confused girls, Yang would attempt to find out why Ruby was so upset. The blonde put her hand on her sister's shoulder and spoke with a soft, caring voice. "Ruby..."

"When Mercer told me that he was a one man team..." the crying girl cut off her sister, looking off to the side while hiding her face the best she could. "I told him he could work with team RWBY... he asked why I would do that and I told Mercer I considered him to be my friend. Then he said..."

The other huntress kept quiet as Ruby turned back to them. The crimson leader's face had a look of sorrow and acceptance. From that look... they could tell what Mercer had said to her effected her greatly.

"... I've never had a friend before."

Blake and Weiss were confused with Ruby's proclamation. They understood what she had said, just not the underlying meaning. Only Yang knew exactly what her sister relayed to them. The blonde bombshell quickly wrapped her arms around the smaller girl, who was still crying. Ruby stayed in the warm embrace of her sister's arms until she started to fall asleep. But before she departed to the world of dreams, the cloaked girl whispered something that only Yang heard. A sad smile followed that final statement as Yang lifted the small frame of the sleeping scythe wielding girl and placed her into her bed. The well endowed brawler stared at her sleeping sister for a moment before turning to confront her white haired associate, her normally lilac eyes now a angry bright red.

"What the hell Weiss," Yang half-yelled, half-whispered at the heiress, ready to chew her out for her earlier outburst.

"What, I was just stating the facts," recoiled the Schnee girl, attempting to defend herself. But she didn't get the chance since Blake joined in on the verbal dispute.

"The three of us haven't met Mercer yet and you're insulting him in front of Ruby, who obviously cares for him as a friend," Blake hissed. "It's obvious that you are incapable of even trying to get to know somebody, you just ride them off as beneath you without trying to understand their situation."

"The nerve-" Weiss tried to speak, but Yang cut of that chance.

"You have no idea how much you hurt Ruby with those words," venom oozed from the blonde's statement. She was beyond pissed. "Ruby was once the same as he was. When our mom died, I nearly lost her to the despair. She stopped trying to make friends, barely talked, and honestly I feared the worst. Ruby thought she had nobody left for her in the world, it took everything I had to get her out of that and back to the Ruby we know."

The other two stayed silent, unsure if there was a right way to respond, so Yang continued.

"Before she fell asleep, Ruby told me that her and Mercer were the exact same," the blonde looked like she herself was on the verge crying. "Only, unlike her... nobody was there to save him."

This revelation hit the three awake girls hard. Blake knew loneliness, but not absolute solitude, she also felt a growing bond between herself, Ruby, and this Mercer, who she hadn't even met yet. Yang was taking it a bit better, the blonde was happy that her sister had found a kindred spirit in Mercer, she only hoped that nothing bad would come from all of this. Weiss took it the hardest. Not only had she upset her entire team, she realized that they were right about how she had insulted that man. It left a bitter taste in her mouth, the feeling was awful. Ruby had no reason to make up something like that, and if this Mercer was worse... the heiress doesn't want to imagine how he feels, that would crush any light she had.

A long silence continued between the girls until Weiss spoke up.

"I'm... going to bed, I'll apologize to Ruby tomorrow and... give Mercer a chance." The heiress silently climbed into her bed below Ruby, she wanted this day to be over with already. Blake had a similar idea and followed the white haired girl's example. Yang took one last look at Ruby before crawling into her own bed. One thought ran through their minds as they drifted into sleep.

Who was Mercer, and how would him being at Beacon effect them all.

** And we're done. So... that was fun. Maybe... no? OK lets wrap this up. As to be expected, Weiss is a total bitch, will she get better? Who knows, not anytime soon that's for sure. I honestly like the Schnee heiress, most people think I'm insane for that, but I think we just haven't got to know her enough yet. By the way, I have no idea if Ruby and Yang are blood related, so I'm just going to assume that they are.**

** And no, my personal preference in characters doesn't mean that Weiss will end up with Mercer. Doesn't mean she want be in the running though. In truth... I won't be deciding who wins our green eyed boy's heart.**

** You... the readers will.**

**Let that sink in...**

** Good, now you know. But don't get your hopes up just yet. That's still a ways to go.**

** Hell, I haven't introduced half of them or made them realize how they feel about Mercer. So just tuck that little piece of information in the back of your minds for now. It will come, in due time.**

** So goodbye for now and don't forget to review and comment. Flamers will be forced to give Yang a haircut (You'll die for the record).**

** See ya **


	5. Chapter 3

**RWBY: Viper's Glare**

** Hello loyal readers! Good... whatever time of day you happen to be reading this. FallenSymphony963 is back with a new chapter! Not gonna say much more than this, other than I really enjoyed writing it and you all are going to laugh your asses off.**

** SO ON WITH THE SHOW!**

** Disclaimer: I own nothing but Mercer.**

**Chapter 3: Physical Appearances and Pancakes**

Mercer awoke to the sound of the alarm he set going off. The green eyed man rose from bed and went over to clock on the dresser and turned it off. The time was 5:30 in the morning, Mercer had always been an early riser, years of living in constant danger combined with his overall enhanced senses made him a light sleeper. With him also being a bit of a neat-freak, Mercer turned back to his bed and made it quickly despite its size, then followed that action with a once-over of the entire room. Seeing that the room was near spotless, the dark warrior grabbed a pair of boxers and the uniform pants before heading towards the male bathrooms to start getting ready for his first day as a student at Beacon.

As Mercer walked into the oversized washroom for the men of Beacon, he couldn't help but be impressed slightly. The whole room was porcelain white and incredibly clean. Each toilet, stall, and shower were well cared for. The former mercenary walked towards the showers and placed his clean clothes in a rack by the shower door before stripping down and entering the inclosed space. As he turned the knob for water to jet out of the shower head, Mercer felt tranquility. Hot water was always a great thing to have, the dark hunter found the serenity of his shower to be relaxing, allowing him to think clearly. _"Ozpin seems to be up to something, but I don't believe it will cause me a great deal of trouble,"_ he thought. To Mercer, his new headmaster was far more intelligent than he let on, there was plenty of evidence of that fact with the conversation they had the day before. The jade eyed man's thoughts turned to a silver eyed girl in a red cloak. _"She had silver eyes..."_ the merc pondered. _"What are you planning Qrow?"_ The last thing that the crimson girl said to him shoved itself into his mind. Turning off the water, Mercer looked down at his tattooed arm, mulling over Ruby's words. Inside the thick mist created from the scolding hot water, the Viper's tattoos began to glow the same green as his gem like eyes, showing that the dark snake was hidden there.

"Friends..."

**RWBY Dorm- 7:45 am.**

Ruby stirred from her sleep, light from the sun outside hit her eyes, causing her to let out a groan. The young girl jumped down off the bunk-bed, let out a small yawn, then proceeded to rub her eyes. Her eyes still stung from when she was crying the night before. She felt bad for yelling at Weiss and figured that she should apologize when she woke up. But Ruby looked around and noticed that the only person inside the room was her.

The scythe-wielder raised an eyebrow at this odd situation. "Where is everybody," she asked the empty room, not expecting any answer. A folded piece of paper on the desk by the window caught the huntress-in-training's attention. She walked over and picked up the paper before reading it.

**Ruby,**

**Weiss, Blake, and I thought you might want to sleep in some. We went on ahead to get breakfast, you might want to hurry, it's pancakes and you know how much Nora loves them**

**Yang**

**P.S. If you can, bring Mercer with you, we would like to meet your new friend.**

The letter's recipient was glad to see the letter. It seemed that her teammates and friends wanted to get to know meet Mercer. That meant he could make new friends, which could help eliminate that sorrow he carried with him. The argument from the night before only strengthened Ruby's resolve to get closer to the snaked eyed warrior and save him from his darkness. With a new found drive, the young leader wasted no time in cleaning herself and getting dressed before dashing out the door to collect her new friend.

If only the girl garbed red knew what it would take to pull Mercer away from the death and destruction that he'd known most of of his life.

**Hallway**

Ruby didn't take much time to get to Mercer's dorm, since it was right next door. She stood at the door for a moment before knocking. Mercer must have been preparing to leave himself because his door opened the second her hand pulled away. Ruby was greeted by the imposing, yet tranquil, form of Beacon's newest student, Mercer Knight. She quickly took in his appearance in the school uniform. The black pants and jacket fit him well (since his normal attire is a black suit), although the gold trimming didn't match the silver jewelry he wore. And the blue tie and white shirt did not match his unique style. Ruby, along with most people, agreed that when it came it to Mercer, the darker the better for clothes.

RWBY's leader looked up at his sharp face, the usual cold and collective look was there, but this time his eyes had a small amount of warmth to them this time. A large smile widened on Ruby's face as she greeted him.

"Good morning Mercer."

He responded with a small nod to Ruby before walking out of his room an looking the door. Mercer then pulled out his scroll and began to go through various information pages he had pulled up. Meanwhile, the small girl by his side watched him intently. By the way he acted and used his scroll, she could tell that he was a diligent worker and preferred to listen rather than speak. Ruby just learned more about Mercer every minute. _"Weiss might act better when she sees him in a classroom,"_ the young girl in red deduced. At that moment she remembered why she went to see him in the first place.

Ruby broke the silence between her and the occupied man. "They're... um, serving breakfast in the dinning hall. Would you... like to come with me... you'll get to meet my team and our friends."

Mercer only stopped adopted a blank face. He couldn't understand what compelled Ruby to be so kind to him. The dark hunter wondered why the thought caused so much confusion. Mercer would be lying if he said he wasn't hungry, so taking up the cloaked girl's offer seemed like the appropriate course of action. Jade eyes looked down at a nervous Ruby and he closed his scroll to give her his full attention.

"That's fine, I'll come with you," he spoke, sending the signal for the young girl to smile immensely.

Ruby quickly latched onto Mercer's arm and proceeded to drag him down the hallway towards the waiting food. All the while the crimson clothed huntress was beaming and the slit eyed man remained stone faced the entire time.

**Beacon Dining Hall**

Long tables filled the massive room that was the dining hall for Beacon Academy, each filled with future hunters and huntresses. The majority of the student body had already gotten their food and were eating while some were walking around. Beacon's teachers had a similar setup, except they all occupied one corner of the giant room. At one of these tables was the three older members of RWBY and their friends form team JNPR: Jaune Arc, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie, and Lie Ren.

"... and then we all decided to get some sleep," concluded Yang, who had just finished telling JNPR about the fight in the RWBY dorm and Weiss' hateful comments about Mercer. Each of the listeners took this information in their own way, but Jaune mustered up the courage to voice his opinion.

"I think you're being too harsh Weiss, you haven't even met the guy yet," the Arc boy timidly spoke to the Schnee heiress, who responded with a venomous look.

Seeing that, Pyrrha came to her leader's defense. "Jaune has a point Weiss, there is most likely another reason for this Mercer to be on his own."

"Oh, and what would that be?" Weiss spat back in retaliation.

"Simple, there are two theories- one: he was transferred here because the school he was originally at was overcrowded."

"Unlikely, what's the other reason?"

"This Mercer has had combat training, but not against Grimm, like a former police trainee, and therefore doesn't require a team to work with."

The heiress only rolled her eyes and looked down at her breakfast. Pyrrha's explanations were highly possible, but she didn't want her to have the last say in it. Weiss looked back up, ready to continue the argument, only to find a strange sight. Pyrrha was wide eyed with her mouth slightly agape, staring at something behind her. Her teammates were in a similar state. Ren was wide eyed too, but was more composed than the spartan, Nora was... curious, and Jaune was completely slack-jawed. The ice queen turned to her side to see Blake in a similar state as Pyrrha and Yang like Jaune, only with a maddening blush spread across her face. The Schnee girl's curiosity finally got the better of her and she turned around, only to go into a similar state of shock as her companions. What she, and everyone else in the dining hall saw was Ruby Rose walking towards them with a tall imposing figure by her side which could only be the Mercer that the hooded girl defended so passionately.

Silence.

That was what Ruby and Mercer were greeted with when they walked into the dining hall. Moments ago Ruby was chatting away while Mercer listened intently. The young girl had gone on to tell the jade eyed man about her time at Signal, encountering the criminal Roman Torchwick, her getting moved ahead two years to Beacon, and how she and her team killed a full grown Nevermore. All the while she spoke, Mercer simply walked and listened to the exploits of the young girl next to him. Having been a mercenary for many years, Mercer was impressed with the level of skill and talent that Ruby showed, even he knew killing a Nevermore was supposed to far from easy, and her fighting style seemed very interesting. Ruby had planned to asked more about him, but the events from the previous meeting reminded her that he wouldn't likely speak on it. So in the end Ruby thought it would be best to let Mercer open up on his own.

The duo carried on like that until they entered the dining hall. The deathly silence that they were met with snapped them back to reality where there they received stares from every person in the room. Looking around the two noticed a few things. One: all the men, excluding the teachers, were giving Mercer a fearful gaze, like he could take them all on by himself **(which he could)**. Two: the women were also staring at Mercer as well, but they were drooling and lustful thoughts about the snaked eyed warrior filled their heads, which was making his senses flare up and tell him to run like hell. Of course, the recipient of those looks ignored them and continue walking.

The members of RWBY and JNPR had their own personal opinions on the man with Ruby, but there was one thing they all agreed on.

Judging by his stature, they way he carried himself, and that intense icy glare, they could summarize that this man was in no way a novice. He was a battle-hardened warrior with years of experience. The more combat oriented background members, Blake and Pyrrha, could see something in his eyes, something that they were very much fearful of.

Mercer was a killer.

Since they know nothing about him, they couldn't judge his reason for taking life. The two decided to keep quiet and give Mercer a chance to explain himself when the time came.

As the two approached the table, Jaune started to sweat bullets and tense up. _"Oh boy... he looks like he snap me in half with his little finger," _the blonde thought. He then noticed all the women and how they looked at Mercer, causing his confidence to leave him. _"And all the girls are basically eye-raping him... lucky guy."_

Pyrrha pulled out from her shocked and fearful expression and settled into a soft smile. The red haired spartan examined Mercer more. _"He seems nice... and strong. I wonder if he would spar with me..."_ she quickly shook her head against that idea. _"No, not a good idea, Jaune might get the wrong idea."_ Pyrrha stole a glance at her now depressed team leader and blushed slightly.

… who knows whats going on inside Nora's head right now.

Ren was focused on analyzing Mercer. Especially his aura, the physical manifestation of a person's soul. Even though he wasn't using it, the calm fighter could make out enough of Mercer's aura to sum up the former mercenary. _"Dark, heavy, and cold."_

As Ruby and Mercer got closer to the table, Blake gave Ruby's new friend a quizzical look. _"So this is Mercer, he seems... sad. He sort of feels like he would be in Ninjas of Lo-"_ the amber eyed woman cut her thoughts off when she started to compare Mercer to her "special" book. Blake started to feel embarrassed at the way she was thinking.

Arrogance and suspicion flooded Weiss' head as her shock wore off. All the things that Blake and Yang had scolded her on flew out of her head as she put on her famous scowl. _"This man... if you can call him that, looks like a criminal."_ The heiress narrowed her focus on Mercer's slit jade eyes. _"Especially those eyes... hmph, just another Faunus it seems. I'll have to keep an eye on him."_ With that Weiss had already decided not to trust Mercer, but enough time can change anyone's mind.

Yang's opinion of her sister's acquaintance was the most... colorful of the group. The busty blonde's hormones were working in overdrive when she looked at Mercer. Her whole body burned with a blazing heat hotter than her semblance. To the surprise of all those around her, the brawler actually voiced her thoughts out loud. "God god look at that fine ass man..." she started, making those around her perk up and listen. "... he needs to be put on a pedestal... after I've had my way with him," Yang continued, sending Jaune, Pyrrha, Blake, and even Weiss into a blush. Then the blonde added the icing on the cake. "I don't even care if he's a hair puller... I WANT that gorgeous piece of hunk," concluded the bodacious woman with a sultry animalistic growl.

The flustered members of RWBY and JNPR got the chance to calm down since Ruby and Mercer had to collect their food. Within a few moments, the girl in the red cloak and the warrior with jade jeweled eyes were standing before them with each carrying a plateful of pancakes and a cup of coffee. Ruby stood beside Mercer and faced her friends, it was time to introduce him to the others.

"Guys, this is my new friend Mercer Knight, he just transferred to Beacon yesterday," she declared with a small amount of worry. The group at the table sat in silence, unable to grasp how Ruby was able to befriend such a clearly powerful individual. Three minutes past before Nora suddenly appeared in front of Mercer. Normally sudden actions like that would've caused the former mercenary to kill the orange haired girl on the spot in the pretense of defense, but the lack of hostility simply made Mercer stiffen his back. The hammer swinging sloth lover seemed to stare right through him before extending her hand in front of his face.

"Boop."

Nora said as she poked his nose with her finger, which in turn made Mercer adopt a confused look and cause everyone else to let out a sigh. Ren spoke up to explain his partner's actions.

"Don't mind her, that's Nora's way of saying hello."

Mercer responded with a slow nod and he and Ruby sat down to eat their breakfast.

**So that really fun. I've pictured Yang to be a mega flirt, so we'll get some comedy from her. Let me again say I am sorry for how long it takes me to upload these chapters. Thankfully I've only got one week of high school left, then I can write like a madman. So until next time, I hope you all enjoyed this installment of Viper's Glare.**

** Be sure to review and comment. I have already gotten a flame so if you have nothing positive or constructive to say... shut the hell up, I got my way of doing this and I'm not changing how I do this. **

** See ya**


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